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Running retail shops has been a long-standing occupation for Nancy and Greg McTiernan of Elmsdale, N.S. But they found their true calling when they decided to open the Sweet Shop Chocolate Shop seven years ago.

“It’s quite different than running traditional retail, where you buy something for one dollar and sell it for two,” Ms. McTiernan says. “Now it’s more like having two businesses: manufacturing production and retail.” Today the couple churn out more than 120 products, including a variety of ice cream offerings.

Before becoming chocolatiers, the McTiernans ran a family-owned garden centre business. When the economy changed, they started diversifying products in the store. “We tried making fudge, she says. Every time we did that it sold really well,” she says.

But they felt they should to go to candy-making school to get more experience. “We cut our teeth on the business side but needed to get expertise in production,” Mr. McTiernan explains.

The biggest difference from a day-to-day work perspective is that people are very nice in the candy business, he adds. “It’s much like a bakery. People are happy to come in and they’re not looking for what’s on sale. It’s a joy to come to work.”

Balancing production and customer service has both challenges and rewards, Mr. McTiernan says. “You’re here seven days a week. But it’s not like work, because you’re able to control what you sell and it’s creative, so we can try a lot of things. Besides, we get to eat the candy.”

A butcher by trade, Rick Trachsel, manager at The Butcher The Bakery store in Stratford, Ont., says retail is a great career path for specialists with a skilled hand. “I’ve been in grocery stores, run independent shops and even been in [field] sales. I discovered retail is 100 times better than sales, so I came back to it.”

He says having strong meat-handling skills are one thing. But retail success also meant taking additional business courses along the way to hone his forecasting and marketing expertise.

A big factor for people wanting to ply their talents on a retail level is personality, Trachsel says. “That’s half the battle. If you’re not polite and accommodating to your customers, you won’t succeed. And when you’re responsible for your product, you can’t nickel-and-dime when it comes to quality control.”

There seems to be a growing interest in retailing even among younger people coming out of school programs. According to Peter Conrod, vice-president client and business strategy for RBC in Toronto, people see it as a way to control their own destiny.

“A bigger portion just want to have better control over their work-life balance,” he says. “Entrepreneurship is really blossoming.”

Rab Kooner, a business analyst with Small Business BC in Vancouver, says there has been a resurgence in independent retail stores in the city, including butchers and bakers looking to start their own business.

The main key to success he says, is carving out a niche for your product. “You need to differentiate yourself somehow. For one butcher, it was working with purely organic products from local farmers.”

Being good at your trade isn’t enough to win the day, Kooner adds. “You need to develop your customer segments and diversify products as well because you can’t compete with bigger retailers on price. You also have to develop social media and marketing skills.”

For artisans looking to a retail career, it pays to do your homework, Conrod advises. “That entails a whole bunch of things, from location and planning growth to financing.”

Not surprisingly, passion for your work is a big part of the picture, he adds. “That’s what stands out for us – along with specific experience in the industry. The more exposure you get in the chosen industry, the better your chance for success.”

“I always tell them that experience in the field is the best education ever,” Kooner notes. “If you’re doing cooking courses, supplement that with some work at a restaurant or bakery. Not only do you get practical experience behind the counter and perfect your art, you can build contacts and learn a lot about running a business.”

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